Disease pressure

The use of CBX for the control of various turf diseases has proven to be highly effective. CBX accomplishes this goal in several different ways. First, CBX promotes healthy soil conditions, releasing nutrients and buffering the effects of toxic substances such as excessive sodium, and the presence of hydrocarbons or other pollutants. In these conditions plants are able to thrive and grow with less stress. Healthy plants release antibodies that fight disease in much the same way all living things do.

CBX stimulates activity in beneficial soil microbes from many different families. For example, the species pseudomonas is highly effective at controlling various fungal diseases including pithium through the production of the antibiotic siderophores as well as hydrogen cyanide. The rapid colonization of the pseudomonas strain has the effect of competitive exclusion of pathogens in the rhysosphere is also a major factor in disease prevention. CBX also stimulates fungi strains in the soil, which provide root related disease support by competition with pathogenic soil fungus. (find out more, on what biological families are stimulated by CBX).

CBX is aerobic in nature, meaning that it thrives in conditions in which there is air. Conversely, many soil diseases are anaerobic in nature, meaning they thrive in soil that is without air. As a result of increased biological activity encouraged by CBX the soil is opened up introducing air into the soil environment inhibiting the success of anaerobic biology. In the case of black layer, anaerobic biology rots the thatch layer creating a hydrophobic layer through which water cannot penetrate exacerbating the rotting effect. As can be seen in the case study “Upland Hills Biological Test”, there was a 1300% decrease in anaerobic bacteria in less than a month through the use of CBX.

What makes CBX such an effective tool for the management and prevention of diseases is the synergistic energy created when all of these conditions occur simultaneously. It may not be possible to completely eliminate the incidence of disease, but it has been shown that the frequency of incidence can be dramatically reduced when CBX is used in the soil.